Aventine

This will be a detailed review of almost every luxury and the so-called "luxury" hotel options in Yangon, Myanmar.

Luxury Forum worthy

Rosewood Yangon
The Strand
Belmond Governor's Residence
Sule Shangrila Yangon (serves a purpose and need)

Luxury in Myanmar but not LF worthy.

Lotte hotel Yangon
Melia Yangon
Mercure Yangon
Pan Pacific Yangon
Novotel Yangon
Wyndham Yangon
Chatrium Yangon

Aventine

Rosewood Yangon (Nova Brasserie and Patisserie Lobby lounge open from 6-10pm only)

It's still in the soft opening phase with a small number of rooms open. Nova Brasserie staff are still learning and a bit stilted in their delivery. Some of them seem very nervious and that's understandable. The food was delicious.

I've only been there for dinner and a small walk around the public areas but I think this will end up being the top Luxury option in Yangon. The hotel looks stunning on the inside and outside. Rosewood did a great job with the 90 year old high court restoration and conversion to a hotel.

I'm looking forward to their rooftop bar and infinity pool overlooking old downtown and towards the river.





Top quality F&B and sourced ingredients. Best baguettes in town.

Aventine

The Strand Yangon

I think the Strand is a wonderfully done restoration that is coasting on its reputation as the previous only true luxury option in Yangon and being a famous colonial era SE original luxe hotel. There were two service complaints where they strongly disagreed that nothing was wrong and made it seem like I should just accept what was given. Middle management evaded responsibility and senior management didn't seem to care about these lapses. I felt this was unbecoming of a luxury hotel to argue about a burger's temperature and quality of a massage. Most luxury hotels in this forum will try to please the guest and not quibble over re-doing a burger or giving the kind of massage I wanted. I offered to even pay extra for the Signature Strand massage but the therapist insisted she could only do a back massage.

They reluctantly re-did the burger to medium rare (it was dry and hard) and reluctantly offered a makeup for a massage type that I never wanted in the first place.

edit: Thida, the guest relations manager took care of the massage issue and gave us 60 min Signature Strand massages done by the Spa manager and supervisor. 100% better than the first time around. To be nitpicky, they could have waived the upcharge for 60 to 90 minutes but I felt it better to do the original 90 mins than an abbreviated one.

The rooms are all suites and tastefully decorated with rare very high ceilings.

Every floor has a butler desk and every suite attended by one. They will do any pressings you want and fetch any amenities you need. They will even unpack and pack if you like. We didn't have much for our butler to do.








I think their swimming pool was poorly conceived because you're visible to the surrounding 5 storey apartments and buildings. They could also afford to have a lifeguard on duty and have the tables and loungers set up to make it more welcoming to guests.



The spa is a small facility with only 2 treatment rooms . No saunas, jacuzzis or even a changing room facilities (this was a letdown). The rooms were beautifully decorated with flower petals.
English communication was a problem in the spa and it shouldn't be.




Spa treatment room shower pressure and temperatures were horrible. Recommend showeringin your room.



The gym was definitely an afterthought.

bhrubin

Thanks for the review, @Aventine. That's too bad about the Strand: we had a spectacular stay in the Strand Suite only a few years ago.

I wonder if the Rosewood will be tops in town once the new Peninsula opens?

SojournsOf

I would have also sent a dry, well-done burger back!

Aventine

Peninsula is a LONG way from completion. Still a metal frame across from Shangrila and causing some noise disruption for their guests facing the site. It looks like a monster of a hotel (1 whole city block). I have a feeling that it will anchor another new Yangon luxury shopping mall and have residences?

Aventine

Yes! A better hotel would have just re-done it and pleased their guest. Especially, when the hotel and restaurant were practically empty.

Isochronous

Is that the one where they're keeping the facade of the old Burma Railways HQ?

Disappointing to hear about the Strand review - I should note for the sake of comparison that I stayed at the Shangri-La earlier this year and the therapists there spoke good English (and provided a good massage)

Aventine

Yes, that's the one but it seems the view from Shangri-La shows the Yuma Central complex build site and I guess the new Pen/old Burma Railways building is on another side. I like Rosewood more because it's a standalone property and not going to be the front for a mega mall.

Pausanias

I wouldn't order a burger in Yangon in the first place.

Aventine

I bet if you were here for 5 months then you might get a hankering too.

Aventine

This is a hotel that I've spent the 2nd most time at here in Yangon (other than work related Lotte). The Governor's Residence really is an urban oasis in Yangon. Lush gardens and a lot of greenery. Nice to get away from all the honking that Yangonite drivers like to do. The most noise you'll get will be a) birds chirping b) staff footsteps and chatter or c) other guests.

There's an Aman vibe here due to rustic nature of the residence, low room count, and the GM hosting two cocktail receptions twice a week for guests. A lot of the staff have worked together for a while and it shows in their personal interactions with the guests. They welcomed us back and remember drink and food preferences.

Be prepared for: MOSQUITOES

I don't really recommend people with mosquito bite sensitivities to stay here. The mosquitoes are endless and they do find ways into the rooms. I had 16 bites at one point and used Cortisone lotion like body lotion. They say they do pest control outside for the gardens but we all know that Nature finds a way. The hotel does offer to spray the rooms but we're hesitate to be breathing in the insecticides in an enclosed space.



Feels like camping the first two nights then gets a bit clustrophobic and stuffy.

The quirks of a 100 year old House
Doors can seize. I got locked in the toilet area of our bathroom when the sliding door wouldn't slide back. We had to call an engineer to set me free. This also happened in the public bathroom when the stall door seized up.



Stuck and wouldn't move.











Previous posters have commented that the Jr or Family suites are the way to go for quiet and privacy. This is probably best during the high season because people can see right into your ground level rooms from the foot paths. We kept the sheer curtains closed and had a lot of precipitation cloud the glass. We also stayed in the low season and the resort did a good job of spreading guests out. Only saw people at breakfast or dinner but never next door.

F&B
I think Belmond has the highest quality F&B of all the luxury choices in Yangon (excluding Rosewood since they're still in a soft opening stage).

Strand tries too hard to be fancy, especially, in their main restaurant. Maybe their guests expect that?

Belmond sources a lot of their produce locally from Burmese farmers in Shan province. The breads and locally made French cheeses rival those we've had in France. They're that good. The pricing is similar to Rosewood and Strand and fair for expats but definitely high for locals. All charged in USD.



Their Pad Thai is better than most Thai restaurants in Yangon and similar to the real deal across the border. The recipe was bequeathed to the hotel from a previous Thai head chef and the line chefs all seem to know how to make it well.



The Burmese curry table set is a wonderful introduction to Burmese salads and curries. Made with less sodium, oil and no MSG. It's plentiful enough that 2 could share one set.

Pausanias

I doubt it - I don't think I've eaten one for over ten years and, no, I'm not vegetarian or vegan.

I do appreciate your rundown on Rangoon hotels - it's been nearly 20 years since I stayed at the Strand in its Amanresort days. I can still taste a wonderful lobster thermidor with just the two of us in the dining room.

Aventine

I've heard so much about Strand in the Zecha era. What was the pool area before? A lawn or garden patio of some kind?

Pausanias

We stayed two nights prior to a cruise to Mandalay on the Irrawaddy and one night on the return. It was a fantastic place with vast rooms and suites and everything in keeping with the Sarkie-era original. Except the plumbing worked. I think some people might have thought it a bit spartan. There was the wonderful entrance lounge (which seems to have been completely re-done judging from your photo), the colonial-style dining room and a cafe at the front with a few seats outside for those prepared to brave the cacophony and the dust . There definitely wasn't a pool and I don't remember a patio or a garden or anything at the back of the building. I know I would have a photo if there was. My guess is that the hotel bought a wreck of a building at the back, kept the shell, and made the pool deck. It certainly needed a pool back then.